Prashant Kishor vows to continue hunger strike after being released from jail

Patna, Jan 6 (IANS) Prashant Kishor, the chief of the Jan Suraj Party, pledged to continue his hunger strike in support of Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates after being released from the Beur Central Jail on Monday night.

He declared that the movement, initiated in Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan, would also reach its resolution there, with further plans to be disclosed the following day (Tuesday).

Kishor celebrated his unconditional bail as a significant setback for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's administration, accusing it of being controlled by retired officers operating out of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

“Nitish Kumar is a tired leader nearing the end of his political tenure. He would no longer serve as Chief Minister after 10-11 months. The bureaucrats supporting Kumar's administration should be ready to prepare for the consequences after the government change in Bihar,” Kishor said.

The Jan Suraj Party founder, after being released from Beur Central Jail, criticised certain officials of the Patna Police and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) for their actions during his arrest and detention.

He specifically called out an officer for allegedly displaying unnecessary "heroism" and accused him of lacking a proper understanding of the law.

Kishor narrated his ordeal, claiming, “Despite the legal provision for bail at the police station level, the officers took him on a prolonged journey in an ambulance for six to seven hours. They brought me to AIIMS Patna, where doctors refused to admit me, and then to a health centre in Fatuha, where no medical certificate was issued. Eventually, I was produced before the Patna Civil Court in the Pirbahore locality, which granted him conditional bail. However, I refused to accept the conditional bail and chose to go to jail,” Kishor said.

He further accused the police of mishandling the situation, stating that they transported him to Beur Central Jail without a court order. Till that time, the court had granted him unconditional bail. He claimed that the officers were uninformed about the legal procedures and were driven by a desire to assert their authority.

“Following the unconditional bail from the court, it is heavy pounding for those who were displaying heroism and those who were instructing from CMO,” Kishor said. He reiterated that the ongoing hunger strike and movement at Gandhi Maidan are not about him but are aimed at seeking justice for the youth of Bihar, particularly those affected by issues in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC). He emphasised his willingness to step aside if leaders like Congress MP Rahul Gandhi or former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav chose to take the reins of the movement.

In a scathing remark, Kishor criticised Tejashwi Yadav for being disengaged from the struggle. While protesters endured severe cold in Gandhi Maidan, the Jan Suraj Party leader alleged that Yadav was enjoying a bonfire at his residence and sharing videos on social media. This, he argued, underscored the lack of genuine commitment from some political leaders towards addressing the grievances of Bihar's youth.

Earlier on Monday, Kishor was arrested by the police from the Gandhi statue in Patna, where he was on a hunger strike.